Resistance to baculoviruses - new answers to an old question

The Cydia pomonella granulovirus (CpGV) is one of the most important commercialized baculovirus biocontrol agents. It has been successfully used for codling moth (CM) control in Europe since more than 20 years. This success was threatened when first reports on CM populations became available in 2005, demonstrating an up to 1000-times reduced susceptibility to CpGV products. Intensive research supported by the European Union and national funding agencies in Germany and France were initiated to understand the prevalence, the molecular mechanism and the genetics behind this phenomenon. New CpGV strains overcoming the resistance were identified or selected from existent isolates. This contribution will provide an overview on recent developments in resistance research of baculoviruses.